of chicago



Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK H. WILLCOX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREYN ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CHECKER GEIVIENT.

Application filed August 29, 19557. Serial No. 216,028.

The present invention relates to checker arrangements.

More particularly, the present invention relates to the checker arrangement within blast furnace stoves. According to a conventional arrangement of the checkers in hot blast stoves, the bricks in one layer of checkers are so arranged that each brick abuts up against the adjoining brick arranged in right angular relation therewith, whereby the bricks are held from tipping over. The bricks in each layer break joint with the bricks in the next adjacent layer above or below. According to the conventional arrangement referred to however. the bricks constitutin the checker work in each layer are arranged in the same vertical planes as the bricks in all of the other layers whereby to give a straight uninterrupted channel for the passage of gas or air. According to the conventional arrangement referred to, only the vertical faces of the bricks (and only a portion of said vertical faces) are exposed to the heating effects of the gases of combustion and available for imparting heat to the blast. There are certain detrimental consequences attendant to the conventional arrangement referred to. First, unless the stove is built quite small, thereby being inadequate for the heat duty imposed upon it, the gases of combustion, or the air of the blast, tend to negotiate only those checkers which offer the most direct route between the inlet and outlet of the stove. As the checkers are continuous, the air or gases must follow the individual checker from top to bottom with the consequence that usually only about two-thirds of the checkers are active. That is only about two-thirds of the checkers have gas streams passing through them in any volume. The second detrimental consequence of the conventional arrange ment referred to is that a considerable volume of the checker work, being represented by surface which cannot be in contact with the gases of combustion or with the air of the blast, is ineffective for heat transfer functions. Still another detrimental consequence of the conventional arrangement above referred to is that the gases have insufficient turbulence to set up a good heat transfer to the surfaces of the checkers.

Different shapes of fire brick have been employed for the purpose of providingmore efficient passageways, though most of the checker arrangements which have been employed in practice, according to applicants observation, have provided a straight course for the gases and the blast. The reason for this has been that, due to the dirty character of gas used in hot blast stoves, it has been considered necessary to keep a relatively large straightaway open checker so that rods and brushes could be passed along the checker surfaces.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved checker arrangement which will, without any increase in the amount of brick, provide an increased heating surface.

A further object is to provide a checker arrangement which will set up a turbulence in the gases and the blast, and which will present surfaces at right angles as well as parallel to the flow, whereby to improve the heat transfer over prior practice.

Still another object is to provide a checker structure such that the gases of combustion or the air of the blast, having entered a certain checker, are not obliged to follow that checker throughout its entire length, but may pass laterally or diagonally to other cheekers, conceivably being able thus to traverse entirely any diameters of the checker column.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a checkerarrangement embodying the principles of the present invention, two layers of checkers being visible, the uppermost layer being shown unshaded and the layer immediately beneath being shown shaded;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the arrows 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the arrows 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a joint between adjacent bricks and illustrating diagrammatically how the volume of brick is used to advantage for heat transfer functions according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that the bricks 10-1.0 of one layer are laid with the extren'iitics of said bricks abutting against the fiat sides of adjacent bricks, the arrangement being such that each brick 10 (except ing, of course, those at the periphery of the stove) has its extremity abutting against two adjacent bricks medially of said adjacent bricks. This is the conventional arrangement of bricks above referred to in stove construction in so far as any one layer is concerned. The bricks 11 in the layer immediately underlying comprising the bricks 1010 are arranged relative to one another in a manner referred to in connection with bricks 1010.

According to the present invention the bricks 1111 instead of lying in the vertical planes of the bricks 1010 are displaced from the planes of said bricks 1010 whereby the planes of bricks 11-11 are disposed symmetrically between the planes of the bricks 10-10. Expressed in other language, the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of the bricks 1111 are shif ed at an angle of 45 degrees from the axes marking intersections of the medial plane of the bricks 10-10. the amount of shifting of said axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of bricks 1111 being one half the diagonal marking the distance between the axes of diagonally disposed intersections of the bricks 1010. The bricks in the next succeeding layer, which bricks are indicated by numerals 12-12, are disposed in the same vertical planes as the bricks 10-10 but may, if preferred, be placed so as to break oint with the bricks 1010. The bricks 13-13 in the layer below the bricks 12-12 are disposed in the same vertical planes as the bricks 1111 but, if preferred, may break oint with said bricks 1111. The bricks 1 1 4 1: in the layer underlying the bricks 13-13 are displaced in the same vertical planes as the bricks 1010 and 12-12. Said bricks 14t-14 may break joint with the bricks 1212. This arrangement will bring the bricks 1 l14 in substantially vertical alignment with the bricks 10-40.

The description of the live layers above referred to will suifice to explain the arrangement of the bricks throughout the checker work.

It will be clear from the drawing and from the above description that the improved checker arrangement, constituting the present invention, provides a tortuous passageway for gas or blast, said gas or blast being deflected at each successive vertical layer of brick whereby a turbulent action is set up. The advantages of the construction described are increased if clean blast furnace gas is used instead of the dirty gas which has formerly been used. In prior practice it has been common to use gas having a dust content of from 0.20 to 0.50 grains per cubic foot. The present invention has decided advantages when using clean blast furnace gas. Applicant does not desire to be limited to gas of any specific degree of cleanliness, but it may be stated that gas having the dust content of 0.008 grains per cubic foot is decidedly advantageous. With gas of the quality above specified or approaching said quality there is not danger of plugging up the improved type of checker. Moreover a straightaway continuity of opening of the checker is not eliminated, but merely reduced in size. This is plainly indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. It will be seen also that if the layers of checker brick one on top of the other should encounter some unusual twisting. the total area of opening is left unimpaired, the relative shape of the opening only being changed and the gas will still be subjected to turbulent action.

One of the great advantages of the present invention is that large portions of the top and bottom surfaces of the brick are exposec to the heating effect of the and are available to give up heat to the blast. In prior constructions the top and bottom side edges of the brick are not exposed to the gas or blast, nor were surfaces at right angles to the flow thus exposed. Another advantage of the present arrangement is that the volume of the bricks at the intersections of said bricks is utilized to good advantage. Figure -lillustrates this point. According to prior arrange ments, the column markin the intersections of the bricks has been unavailable for hca" transfer purposes, wherein the present invent-ion, however, wherein the top and bottom areas of the bricks at the intersections are exposed, a considerable portion of the column marking the intersection is rendered available, only the part midway of the column marking the intersection being unavailable. The unavailable portion referred to is shaded at Figure 4; and is indicated by the numeral. 15. Tabulation of a checker arrangement e1nbodying the principles of the present invention relative to aconventional arrangement in common use, using exactly the same lnicks, shows that the heating surface available under the improved arrangement is 172 square feet as compared with 111 square feet under the old arrangement. The cubic feet of effective brick amount to 13.2 in the improved arrange ment as against 11.6 in the old ll'ltllflOJHCllt.

From these figures it will be seen that the offectiveness of the brick Work is increased approximately twenty per cent, due to the increased heating surface and increased effec tive volume of brick. Also the increased turbulence of the gas and blast serve likewise to secure a heat transfer rate. These factors make for increased capacity and etliciency in a stove of given outside di nensions, and accomplish this without increasing the quantity of brick in the stove.

Though a preferred embodiment of the in vention has been described in detail, the invention is, of course, subject to modification. It is intended to cover all such modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A checker arrangement for hot blast stoves comprising layers of bricks, the bricks in one layer having their extremities abutting against the sides of adjacent bricks in right angularrelationship with said sides of said adjacent bricks, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in each layer being disposed symmetrically between the medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer.

2. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, the

' bricks in each layer being disposed in right angular relationship with each other, the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of the bricks inone layer being displaced diagonally from the axes marking the intersections of the media], planes of the bricks of the next succeeding layer, said axes in one layer being disposed symmetrically of the axes in the next succeeding layer.

3. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right angular relationship with each other to form passageways, the bricks in each second layer being disposed in the same vertical planes but breaking joint with one another, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer, the medial planes in the successive layers being arranged'symmetrically with relation to one another.

4. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a'plurality of layers of bricks, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right angular relationship with each other to form passage ways, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer, the medial planes in the successive layers being arranged symmetrically with relation to one another.

5. A checker arrangement for hot blast stoves comprising layers of bricks, the bricks in one layer having their extremities abutting against the sides of adjacent bricks in right angular relationship with said sides of said adjacent bricks, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in each layer being between the medial layers of the bricks in the next succeeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flow of gas and air while preserving straight away continuity of opening with lateral access from one passage way 7 to another.

the next succeeding layer whereby to provide lateral access from one passage way to another.

7. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right angularrelationshi with each other to form passage ways, the bricks in alternate layers being disposed in the same vertical planes but breaking joint with one another, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flow of gas and air while preserving straight away continuity of opening between said passage ways with lateral access from one passage way to another.

8. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right angular relationship with each other to form passage ways, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flow of gas and air while preserving straight away continuity ofopening through said passage way and providing lateral access from one passage way to another.

9. A checker arrangement for hot blast stoves comprising layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in one layer having their extremities abutting against the I sides of adjacent bricks in right-angular relationship with said sides of said adjacent bricks, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in'each layer being disposed symmetrically between the medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer.

10. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other, the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced diagonally from the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of the bricks of the next succeeding layer, said axes in one layer being disposed symmetrically of the axes in the next succeeding layer.

11. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other to form passageways, the bricks in each second layer being disposed in the same vertical planes but breaking joint with one another, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer, the medial planes in the successive layers being arranged symmetrically with relation to one another.

12. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other to form passageways, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer, the medial PlilllS in the successive layers being arranged symmetrically with relation to one another. 7

13. A checker arrangement for hot blast stoves comprising layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in one layer having their extremities abutting against the sides oi": adjacent bricks in right-angular relationship with said sides of said adjacent bricks, the vertical medial planes of the bricks in each layer being between the medial layers of the bricks in the next succeeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flow of gas and air while preserving straightaway continuity of opening with lateral access from one passageway to another.

14. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other, the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes or the. bricks in one layer being displaced from the axes marking the intersections of the medial planes of the bricks of the next succeeding layer whereby to provide lateral access from one passageway to another.

15. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other to form passageways, the bricks in alternate layers being disposed in the same vertical planes but breaking joint with one another, the vertical medial planes oi the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next suc ceeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flowof gas and air while preserving straightaway continuity of opening between said passageways with lateral access from one passageway to another.

16. In a checker arrangement for hot blast stoves, a plurality of layers of bricks, said bricks having like dimensions in a vertical direction, the bricks in each layer being disposed in right-angular relationship with each other to term passageways, the vertical inedial planes of the bricks in one layer being displaced from the vertical medial planes of the bricks in the next succeeding layer whereby to present surfaces at right angles to the flow of gas and air while preserving straightaway continuity of opening through said passageway and providing lateral access from one passageway to another.

Signed at Chicago, Ill., this l day of Aug,

FREDERICK H. lVILLCOX. 

